RGU research to be highlighted at Edinburgh Festival show

Sheila Erskine and Dr David Smith are part of The Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas (CODI), which is a one-hour show taking place at The Stand Comedy Club and hosted by comedian Susan Morrison.

On August 18, David Smith will be performing Alphas, Beta and Chads which looks at the reasons men join the incel community. Sheila Erskine will take to the stage with Real Food for Thought on August 19, and will talk about how the food we eat shapes us.

Dr David Smith said: “I am looking forward to performing in Edinburgh. Having grown up there, it is an honour to be part of the festival and an exciting opportunity to take my research to a new audience.

“Often as academics we get bogged down in specialist jargon or tables and lose the heart of what we are really interested in. With this I am looking forward to talking about my work as I would do with friends and family.

"Incels, short for involuntary celibates, are a community many people will have heard of but not know much about. And they should because it is likely to get worse before it gets better. In this show I reflect on my interviews with former members to show why young men join, why they stay and what we as a society can do about the threat inceldom poses."

Sheila Erskine said: “I am delighted to be performing at and being part of the Edinburgh Fringe this year. As a new academic at RGU, it is both a privilege and an amazing opportunity to share my research with the audience.

“Food is an everyday part of all our lives yet not always thought about deeply. I hope to encourage people to think about their food memories and experiences and show how these may have shaped their lives and relationships with a view to leaving my show excited to create new memories and experiences for a positive future and having a new respect for the value of food in our lives.”

The Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas (CODI) is a collaboration led by the University of Edinburgh involving the four Edinburgh universities, Fair Pley Productions, the comedian Susan Morrison, and the Stand Comedy Club. The 2024 programme will feature 47 shows during this year’s Fringe.

Starting in 2013, the programme has delivered over 350 one-hour shows selling more than 13,000 tickets. Through this, CODI engages thousands of people local to Edinburgh and those visiting from around the world with innovative research coming directly out of Scotland’s universities.

Main image: Dr David Smith from RGU performs at a warm up show ahead of the Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas. Credit: Eddie Middleton.